“Autozam AZ-1”

***** (K|C|F) *****

[T h e A U T O Z A M A Z – 1 ]

( 1992 – 1995 ) Autozam AZ-1 Number Produced: 4,392

The Autozam AZ-1 ( PG6 SA ) also known as the ‘Mazda AZ550‘, came along in October1992 and was rear-engined like the Honda Beat of the same era. The AZ-1prototypes were produced during the 550cc era, hence the 550 suffix. The 1993 Suzuki Cara ( PG6 SS ) which was a badge engineered version of the AZ-1, had minor changes which included neat looking additional fog lamps. The mid-engined rear-wheel-drive AZ-1 had near perfect weight distribution and excellent handling.

The AZ-1 was actually manufactured by Suzuki, but was sold by Mazda under its Autozam brand name. The car was designed by ‘Tatsumi Fukunaga‘ and ‘Toshiko Hirai‘ who were also responsible for the Mazda MX-5. The AZ-1 and the Suzuki Cappuccino both shared the 657cc DOHC 12v F6A 13 engine and were turbocharged&intercooled. Power output was 63 hp ( 47 kW / 64 PS ) @ 6,500 rpm and 85 N/m ( 63 lb/ft ) @ 4,000 rpm. The Suzuki sourced 3-cylinder engine was also used on the then current Mazda Carol. The car was made available to the buying public in September1992 in 2 colour options, Siberia Blue&Classic Red. Both colours came with Venetian Gray lower panels. Each car was sold through the Autozam dealership network in Japan.

Suzuki Cara ( PG6 SS )

( 1993 – 1995 ) Suzuki Cara Number Produced: 531

Unfortunately by the time car came into production, the recession in Japan had just come into force. Selling for ¥1,498,000 ( £11,256 ), it cost slightly less than the Mazda Eunos Roadster ( MX5 ), but marginally higher than its competitor, the Honda Beat which sold at ¥1,388,000 ( £10,430 ) and the Suzuki Cappuccino at ¥1,458,000 ( £10,956 ), the AZ-1 was considered to be both too expensive and too cramped for a kei-car. The car failed to sell within its target of 800 per month. Production of the car ended the following year, but Mazda still had plenty of stock to sell off. With the total production of 4,392 over a year, plus 531 for the Cara version compared to 28,010 for the Suzuki Cappuccino and 33,600 for the HondaBeat, makes the AZ-1 the rarest of the kei sports cars.

By far the most unusual feature of the AZ-1 was the ‘gull-wing door design‘, it definitely had the wow factor, but the cabin space was too cramped.

[ T h e A u t o z a m / S u z u k i P r o t o t y p e s ]

RS/1: RS/3:

The idea for the AZ-1 goes as far back as 1985 when Suzuki created the Suzuki RS/1(above) as a midship sports car project for volume production. Suzuki went as far as to design the car for the Tōkyō Motor Show and it had to be functional with a front / rear weight distribution of 45:55. This was followed up by the Tatsumi Fukunaga designed RS/3, unveiled for the 1987 Tōkyō Motor Show, retaining many of the design features of the predecessor but many of its design features were worked on to meet Japanese safety regulations as well as being a practical sports car. Unfortunately, the project was abandoned in favour of the roadster project they had been working on, namely the Suzuki Cappuccino. Mazda’s design team, led by Toshiko Hirai, took over the design project, despite having a limited budget and capacity.

[ T h e M a z d a P r o t o t y p e s ]

The redesigned cars were constructed in a tube frame with floors and bulkheads constructed from aluminium honeycomb and were clad in 3 different body styles constructed in fibreglass. It was first introduced at the 1989Tōkyō Motor Show as the AZ-550 in 3 versions.

The AZ550 Type ‘A‘

The Type ‘A‘ was a redsports car with pop-up headlights, a front air vent and distinctive Ferrari Testarossa inspired side strakes and of course the distinctive gull-wing doors.

The AZ550 Type ‘B‘

The Type ‘B‘, themed as a ‘High-tuned Pure Sports‘, was inspired by the trends in the tuning industry and in current concept car designs, featuring a see through roof without a rearward sweep to the C-pillar. It had a racing car inspired interior and unlike the Type ‘A‘, it was aiming for the rough and spartan look and was the only model with a more conventional forward hinging door. It featured a pair of bulging headlamps and incorporated twin silencers.

The AZ550 Type ‘C‘

The Type ‘C‘, had a more distinctive body design as it was inspired by Mazda’s ‘Group C‘ sports prototype racers, incorporating its signature colour scheme of blue on white and the number it bore at the Le Mans 24 hours. It featured a bigger air intake, venting to the forward positioned radiator and exits along the front rim of the cowl. There were many design cues typical to an endurance racer such as the wing mirror and BBS style brake-cooling wheel discs. Compared to the Type ‘B‘, this version was far more spartan in comparison.

[ P r e – P r o d u c t i o n ]

As the cars were well received by the visiting public and the motoring press alike, Mazda executives decided on production of the car. Although the Type ‘C‘ was the better received of the three, it was the Type ‘A‘ which was given the green light by executives as they believed that it would be the one most commercially accepted by the buying public. The Type ‘A‘ would only receive a minor design alteration prior to production, as the pop-up headlights were dropped in favour of fixed units, purely for structural rigidity reasons. The front air vent was also a design alteration made to the car prior to production. The car took 3 years to get into production as the engineering team changed the car’s internal skeleton frame to steel to allow for further rigidity. The dashboard design was also changed, to a less futuristic but still sporting look. Much of the development work was carried out in the United Kingdom despite the fact it was never intended for sale outside of Japan.

[ A l t e r n a t i v e V e r s i o n s ]

In a bid to shift unsold stock, Mazda made an effort to produce special versions. First to come was the Type ‘L‘ option, featuring an enhanced audio system including a sub-woofer in the boot. There were no exterior changes made to the car.

[ T h e S u z u k i C a r a ]

The AZ-1 was also sold by Suzuki as the Cara, with only minor detail changes including the addition of fog lamps let into the bonnet.

AZ-1 (left) / Cara (right)

[ M a z d a s p e e d ]

Mazda also introduced the ‘Mazdaspeed‘ version to showcase the parts available.

The ‘A‘ spec body kit featured an enhanced bonnet, front spoiler and rear wing. Unlike the production version, the car came in an all-red or blue body colour. It also came with a host of options including shock absorbers with sports spring sets, strut bars for the front and rear, mechanical LSD, enhanced air filter and a stainless steel and ceramic muffler. It also came with its own brand of alloy wheels as opposed to the production steel wheels.

( The Mazdaspeed AZ-1 in red )

( The M2 1015 in black )

For 1994, there was also the ‘*M2 1015‘ by M2 Incorporated. The most distinguishing part of the car is the front fog lights incorporated into the bonnet, and the all-new front bumper and rear spoiler. The car came in 3 different colours, white, black and silver. Like the Mazdaspeed version, the car was painted entirely in a single colour. Fifty were to be produced and sold by the M2 dealer, but they only managed to sell about half of its stock. The dealer covered its losses by selling the body parts individually. A genuine M2 1015 can be identified by the rear emblem stating the version name.

*M2 Incorporated was a former automobile manufacturer and group company of the Mazda Motor Corporation. The company existed from 1991 – 1995 and was also known under its nickname as the ‘Mazda Two‘. The official brand name was ‘M2‘. M2 were responsible for the development and production of vehicle parts, such as bodykits. The headquarters were inside the M2 building in Tōkyō.

[ O t h e r V a r i a t i o n s ]

Although the M2 1015 was the only version sold by the dealer, M2 also created other versions purely for show purposes and to test market their cars.

The M2 1014:

The M2 1014 was a 1-off, off road inspired car built for the 1993Tōkyō Motor Show with design cues coming from the Lamborghini Cheetah.

The M2 1015A:

The M2 1015A was rally inspired featuring the auxiliaries of a rally car including a pair of spotlights detached on the bottom of the bonnet.

The M2 1015B:

The M2 1015B incorporated a detachable top roof, instead of being constructed of glass, it was constructed in plastic.

The RE Amemiya:

In 1996, renowned tuning company and rotary specialist, ‘RE Amemiya‘ produced another 1-off example for the Tōkyō Auto Salon, called the ‘GReddy VI-AZ1‘. It was named after its long-term partner and was the 6th incarnation of their partnership project car. It was influenced by the AZ-550 Type ‘C‘ but longer and wider incorporating a ‘20B 3-rotor Wankel engine‘, mounted longitudinally developing 250hp, definitely not kei-car territory. The only part of the car that has traces of the original AZ-1 were the gullwing doors.

[ T h e A b a r t h S c o r p i o n e ]

There was also a 1-off version built in 1996 called the ‘Abarth Scorpione‘ commissioned by ‘Shiro Kosaka‘, a renowned collector of Abarth sports cars, with numerous design cues from its genuine and rare namesake. The car was entirely rebodied at a cost of one million yen ( £7,514 ) for the body alone, plus another million yen for painting and fitting !!

[ S p e c i f i c a t i o n s ]

Designer: Tatsumi Fukunaga / Design Leader: Toshiko Hirai

Class: Sports kei-car / Bodystyle: 2-door coupé

Layout: Transverse mid-engine, rear-wheel drive

Platform: FRP body on steel chassis

Doors: Gullwing / Engine: 657cc F6A 13, DOHC 12v turbo

Transmission: 5-speed manual / Wheelbase: 2,235 mm (88.0 in)

Length: 3,295 mm (129.7 in) / Width: 1,395 mm (54.9 in)

Height: 1,150 mm (45.3 in) / Curb weight: 720 kg (1,587 lb)

The AZ-1 is also popular as a grey import in some markets, and has been converted to left-hand drive (LHD) for the Canadian and other left-hand drive markets.